Letters by General William F. Draper
Written During the Civil War
The letters listed below are taken from copies at the Library of Congress. They were
obtained by John Robertson, Jr., of Upton, while doing research for his book, On Old
Marlborough Road. John made copies of the fifty pages he had, and gave them to me.
I’ll try to get them all online eventually. The first of them was written at Camp Lincoln,
Worcester, on October 5, 1861, and the last from Camp Oliver, New Bern, North
Carolina, on July 6, 1862. There are others at the Smithsonian, but the ones on this site
are just those that were written during the period John was studying. His book is about
two men from Upton who were killed at the Battle of Newbern. Draper was in that battle,
and mentioned them in his letters and his autobiography. You can also read, from
Draper’s autobiography, Recollections of a Varied Career, the story of his marriage
during a furlough in 1862, and his account of being severely wounded during the Battle
of the Wildernesss. Most of the letters here are about life in camp and on ships. Draper
saw a great deal of action during the war, but most of it occurred after the period
covered in these letters.
Five of Draper’s letters were written from Newbern. If you’d like to read more about the
battle, you can find it in Robertson’s book. It’s a wonderful account of the years leading
up to the war, the Fiske and Rogers families in Upton, and the battle. It’s for sale at the
Upton Historical Society Museum, on the second floor over the Upton Library in the
center of Upton. They’re open Tuesday through Thursday, and Saturday from nine until
eleven-thirty, and on Thursday evenings from six-thirty until eight. (Even if you’re not
buying the book, the museum is well worth a visit.) The price of the book is $26.25. (All
proceeds go to the Upton Historical Society and the Upton Historical Commission.) To
order by mail, send $29.25 to the Upton Historical Society, Box 171, Upton, MA 01568-
0171.
October 5, 1861 – Camp Lincoln, Worcester, Massachusetts
November 2, 1861 – On board steamer Louisiana, Baltimore, Maryland
November 13, 1861 – Camp Hicks, Annapolis, Maryland
November 29, 1861 – Camp Hicks
December 5, 1861 – Camp Hicks
December 7, 1861 – Camp Hicks
December 13, 1861 – Camp Hicks
Undated – Camp Hicks
December 25, 1861 – Camp Hicks
December 30, 1861 – Camp Hicks
January 12, 1862 – On board Schooner, Colonel Satterly, Chesapeake Bay
January 28, 1862 – On board Schooner, Colonel Satterly, Hatteras Inlet
February 9, 1862 – On board Steamer S.R. Spaulding off Roanoke Island (Dear Lilla)
February 9, 1862 – On board Steamer S.R. Spaulding off Roanoke Island (Dear Father)
March 15, 1862 – Newbern, N.C.
April 5, 1862 – Newbern, N.C.
May 2, 1862 – Newbern, N.C.
June 2, 1862 – Camp Oliver, Newbern
July 6, 1862 – Camp Oliver, Newbern
Draper Menu HOME